On Monday, we brought Parker in to our local pediatrician in an attempt to "nip this cold in the bud". We weren't able to get an appointment until late that afternoon, so we ended up being there pretty late. The doctor came in and immediately said that Parker's cough sounded like an "RSV" cough. He did a complete check-up on Parker, but never mentioned swabbing him. Before he walked out of the room, I said that I wanted Parker swabbed for RSV and flu, so he complied. They swabbed Parker and sent us on our way saying they'd call with the results. It was after 5:00 so we had to rush to Thibodaux in order to get there in time for outpatient labs and chest x-ray. I hadn't even made it out of Gray yet and the nurse was calling to confirm that he indeed did test positive for RSV. Being that the chest x-ray and labs were done after 6:00 we weren't expecting to get those results until the following morning.
Overnight, Parker's temperature spiked up to 103 degrees, so I had already started packing our bags to head in to Children's. At this point I knew it was inevitable. While I was packing, the pediatrician called to let us know that the chest x-ray showed viral pneumonia, and his labs were a little elevated indicated dehydration. We headed straight for the ER at Children's, and his team ordered a direct admit so we wouldn't have to sit and wait in the ER. There was no doubt on whether we were staying, so they had a room waiting for us when we got there. Parker, however, had other plans. When we triaged at the front desk, his temp was up to 104, his oxygen level was low, and he showed major signs of dehydration, so we were considered "too sick" for direct admit. We got more labs and viral panels done, while also getting some much needed IV hydration. Ironically enough, Parker hasn't skipped a beat. The child is hyper as ever, so you'd never even know he's sick.
Once we got to the room, our transplant team came up to tell us that Parker is an over achiever. Not only did he have RSV and viral pneumonia, but he also tested positive for rhinovirus/enterovirus. Go big, or go home, right?
After two nights in the hospital, Parker decided that it was time to go home. He's been fever free for 24 hours, he's drinking well, and his oxygen levels have come up to 98. They didn't re-check his creatinine levels, which makes me really nervous, but the doc is convinced he's had enough fluid. Like I said earlier, the child is as hyper as could be, so it's hard to tell he's really sick. We will keep up the breathing treatments, continue to monitor his breathing to make sure that he doesn't start struggling again, and keep pushing more water to drink. Everything is viral so it has to run its course, and that might take a bit. Thank you for all of the prayers. Say a few more that he keeps doing well, and Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!
